Stocking



April 24, 1934.

F. E. STRUVE STOCKING Filed April 22, 1932 Patented Apr. 24, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim. (01. 66 17's) of the leg to extend below the knee of the wearer and provided with knitted formations that will give increased elasticity to the welt section to meet all strains created in the use of the stocking.

Another object of the invention resides in prol5 viding a double wall welt and a single wall welt extension, both providedwith vertical rows of openings to give increased elasticity thereto and then providing a plain solid knit inner wall for the welt to control the resiliency or elasticity of 20 the welt.

A feature of the invention resides in providing an open work welt and an open work extension and arranging a plain solid knit inner wall fabric to reinforce the open work fabric in its connection with garter fasteners.

My invention is also distinguished in providing the open work formations over the entire area of the outer surface of the stocking from the upper edge thereof to a point below the knee of the wearer so as to facilitate freedom of the nee of the wearer and besides give the stocking ventilating characteristics.

' With these and other objects in view the invention will be better understood from the following detail description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure l is a side elevation of the stocking.

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the upper portion of the stocking.

Figure 3 is a detail view of a portion of the fabric.

Figure l is a plan view of the upper portion of a stocmng blank before the welt is turned.

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view of the mitted loops. 4

Referring to the drawing in detail the numeral 1 dengnates a welt section, the numeral 2 the leg section and the numeral 3 the foot section all formed from mitted fabric and preferably hitted on a flat textile hitting machine so as to be fully fashioned.

Attenhon is called to the fact that the foot section 3 is formed from solid knit fabric and the leg section 2 is also formed from solid ma fabric whereas the welt section is formed from a combination of open work knitted fabric and solid knit fabric so as to have increased elasticity and ventilating characteristics.

The welt section 1 consists of the welt 4 and welt extension 5, the latter extending down the leg 2 of the stocking to the point B of the draw-' ing which is located below the knee of the wearer. The welt 4 consists of an outer wall 6 and an inner wall 7, the latter formed from a solid knit fabric for the purpose hereinafter described.

The outer wall 6 and the welt extension 5 is provided with vertical rows of transferred stitches 7 as shown in Figure 5 providing openings or open work formations 8. Attention is called to the fact that these openings extend over the entire area of the outer wall 6 and the welt extension 5 thereby giving increased elasticity to these fabrics and besides giving the stocking extra ventilating characteristics. This is of great importance due to the fact that in the bending of the knee of the wearer the upper portion of the stocking must give considerably or otherwise the same is subjected to excessive strains which quite often results in the breaking of the knitted loops and the formation of runs in the stocking. I have also found from actual experience that it is important to ventilate the knee joint of the leg of the wearer, particularly the rear portion thereof to prevent the accumulating of perspiration which will have an acid reaction on the silk of the hosiery resulting in the rotting thereof.

By transferring stitches in the knitted fabric, I accomplish the dual purpose of giving increased elasticity to the fabric and providing openings for ventilating purposes.

As the rows of openings are in vertical alignment, that is to say, are in alignment walewise of the stocking, it will be appreciated that the interlocked vertical rows of knitted loops where the transferred stitches are arranged may be readily 9 spread from each other thereby accommodating increased expansion at the top portion of a stocking for accommodating different size legs.

For the purpose of regulating the expansibility of the upper portion of the stocking and to overcome any looseness or baggyeifect, in the outer wall I provide the inner wall 7 as a plain solid knitfabric. This solid knit inner wall 7 not only regulates the elasticity of the upper portion of the stocking but also is of advantage in reinforcing the outer wall against the strains created in the use of garter fasteners.

It is, of course, to be understood that the openings or open work formations of the weltand welt extension may be produced inmany ways other than through the use of transferred stitches. Besides the welt 4 may be designed in other manners than shown and therefore I do not desire to be limited in protection in any manner whatsoever except as set forth in the following claim:

What I claim is:

A weft knitted stocking having a double ply welt fabric, a single ply welt extension fabric which is a continuation of said welt fabric and of a total area. to cover and extend above and below the knee portion of the leg of the wearer, and a plain tight knitted leg fabric which is a continuation of said welt extension fabric; the outer ply of said welt fabric knitted solely of alternating plain courses consisting entirely of plain tight loops, and transferred courses each consisting throughout its length of alternating plain loops and transferred loops whereby the closely arranged transferred loops of all the transferred courses provide closely arranged relatively enlarged openings over the entire area of the outer welt ply for giving increased stretch and ventilation thereto; said welt extension fabric knitted solely of alternating plain courses consisting entirely of plain tight loops, and transferred courses, each consisting throughout its entire length of alternating plain loops and transferred loops whereby the closely arranged transferred loops of all the transferred courses provide closely arranged relatively enlarged openings over-the entire area of the welt extension for giving the welt extension increased stretch and ventilation throughout its entire area.

FREDERICK ELWOOD STRUVE. 

